to ruffle up

Examples

• All

• Didn't some late night chat show host ruffle up Trump's hair live on TV?

• I saw your little Indian feathers get all ruffled up.

  The Blind Side (2009)

• So this way, your hair, it doesn't stick or get ruffled up on your regular pillowcases.

• Passing one boy, he ruffles up the student's hair: Jaime Escalante.

  Blog text (30)

• He ruffled up the pillow to make it more comfortable for sleeping.

• She ruffled up the leaves in the garden to create a more textured look.

• The wind ruffled up the surface of the lake, creating small waves.

Synonyms

W

to wrinkle

vsto ruffle up

56 2.1

To make a small fold in cloth, paper, or skin

emphasizes general disturbance of smoothness, not only distinct creases

C

to crumple

vsto ruffle up

29 3.4

Get folded and wrinkled when pressed, like paper or cloth

disturbs smoothness more gently, not always by forceful crushing

P

to pucker

vsto ruffle up

25 5.2

To make small wrinkles in skin or cloth

creates broader unevenness and ripples rather than tight gathered folds

T

to tease

vsto ruffle up

• Specialized

25 6.8

To pull apart and loosen fibers by brushing or combing them

disturbs outer smoothness instead of intentionally lifting or fluffing fibers

C

to crinkle

vsto ruffle up

12 3.7

Form small lines on paper, skin, or cloth

makes the surface uneven in a wider, less fine way

S

to scrunch

vsto ruffle up

• Informal

9 5.5

Squeeze something until it becomes wrinkled or folded

is about upsetting smoothness or creating ripples rather than forceful crushing

R

to ruffle

vsto ruffle up

7 4.2

Disturb a smooth surface so small waves appear

is the broader act of disturbing smoothness to make it uneven or wrinkled

R

to rumple

vsto ruffle up

6 5.4

To make clothes or hair wrinkled and messy

focuses more on changing smoothness into gentle unevenness rather than messy styling

S

to scrunch up

vsto ruffle up

• Informal

1 4.1

To press something so it becomes wrinkled, for example paper or your face

disturbs surface smoothness without necessarily compressing or compacting it

T

to tousle

vsto ruffle up

1 7.6

To make something messy, especially hair, by moving it with your hands

is about changing surface smoothness broadly, not mainly creating untidiness

R

to ruckle

vsto ruffle up

9.9

To make small folds in cloth by pressing or gathering it

is a looser disturbance causing unevenness rather than planned folding

C

to cockle

vsto ruffle up

9.5

To make a surface form small waves or ripples

covers any disturbance of smoothness, not only wave or ripple patterns

F

to fuffle

vsto ruffle up

• Informal

9.9

To make hair, clothes, or papers untidy by moving them

is focused specifically on disturbing surface smoothness into wrinkles or waves

Antonyms

F

to flatten

23 2.6

Make something flat and smooth by pressing it

S

smooth

1 5.8

An act of making a surface even by rubbing or pressing

How Uneven

to crumple

29 3.4

to ruffle up

1 4.2

to rumple

6 5.4

to crinkle

12 3.7

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology